Iran seizes two oil tankers in Persian Gulf, 15 crew members detained

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has seized two foreign‑flagged oil tankers in the Persian Gulf on allegations of fuel smuggling, state media reported on Friday.

According to Iranian state television, the tankers were intercepted on Thursday near Farsi Island, a strategic location in the Gulf, and were subsequently transferred to the port city of Bushehr. The vessels were reportedly carrying around 1 million litres of fuel , including diesel, when they were detained.

Gen. Heidar Honarian Mojarrad, a regional commander of the Revolutionary Guard’s navy, confirmed the seizure and said 15 crew members aboard the two tankers are now “in custody of judicial bodies.” No information has been released on the nationalities of the vessels or their crews, and Iran has not publicly stated the flags under which the ships were operating.

Iran has a history of detaining oil‑carrying vessels in the Gulf on similar charges. In December , Iranian forces seized a foreign tanker transiting the strategic Strait of Hormuz, detaining its 16‑member crew. Another vessel was seized in the same waterway in November .

The latest incident comes amid ongoing regional tensions . Relations between Tehran and Washington have remained strained following Iran’s harsh crackdown on nationwide protests last month and longstanding disputes over Tehran’s nuclear program.

Western nations have previously accused Iran of targeting commercial shipping. Notably, limpet mine (small explosives magnetically attached to a ship’s hull) attacks in 2019 damaged several tankers in the Gulf, and a 2021 drone strike on an Israeli‑linked oil tanker killed two European crew members. The attacks occurred after then‑U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal , escalating tensions in the region.

As of now, there has been no official response from the United States or other global powers regarding the recent tanker seizures.